An enchanting children's tale from Tony Seymour

World Cerebral Palsy Day 2012 – One Statistic, One Big Day, One Big Idea!

Did you know that cerebral palsy affects 17,000,000 worldwide? Did you also know that cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in childhood, affecting one in every 500 babies? No? That makes two of us! Impressive though these statistics are, cerebral palsy is still largely misunderstood. Despite developments in medical science and the considerable work by cerebral palsy support groups and charities, more needs to be done to raise awareness about the condition which affects 30 newborn infants every hour.

And that is why, this year, charities from all over the globe will unite to create the first ever World Cerebral Palsy Day or World CP Day. Starting on 4 September 2012, this annual event will give people with cerebral palsy the opportunity to raise awareness about the condition on a local, national and international level. Furthermore, World Cerebral Palsy Day aims to stimulate involvement from within the cerebral palsy community itself.

World Cerebral Palsy Day 2012

The Day in Detail!

The main aim behind World Cerebral Palsy Day is to improve the lives of those with cerebral palsy by sharing everyday problems faced by those with the condition and suggesting real workable solutions to these challenges.

From the 4 September onwards, people will be encouraged to access the World Cerebral Palsy Day website. Here, they will be able to upload their particular challenge or problem, along with a proposed solution or idea. For example, one of the problems already highlighted is of the lack of accessibility faced by wheelchair users in public places. The suggested solution is a helpful smartphone app, which enables the user to find shops, modes of transport and other amenities which are ‘wheelchair friendly’.

At the same time, people will be able to vote for their favourite solutions or ideas. The winner will be the solution or idea which attracts the greatest number of votes.

Then comes the exciting bit! Once a winner has been decided, the most popular idea will then be turned into a reality by a panel of inventors, designers and problem solvers. Sound exciting? The earlier an idea is logged on the World Cerebral Palsy Day Website, the more chance it will have of attracting the most votes, so the trick is to register your idea as quickly as possible from the 4 September.

This competition is a fantastic opportunity for people with cerebral palsy to not only share common challenges and find realistic solutions, but also raise awareness about the condition to the world at large.

About

Tony Seymour is a new author. He was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy at birth.

‘The Mermaid in The Gherkin Jar’ is an enchanting children’s story, which highlights the challenges Tony faced as a young child growing up with the condition. Tony lives in Manchester. You can find him on Twitter.